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DEVELOPING Q & AMixtape Once Mama has introduced the kids to your salad bar, you’re probably in for the duration.To compete againGAME ONTurner Lofts Joey GiambraSpree in the wayback: Deer controlThis article from 2010 addresses a universal problem for suburban and ruralhomeowners that seems to get worse every year. Spree gardening correspondentSally Cunningham has some common sense solutions and a philosophical attitudein her piece, “Coping with Deer:”

Deer are living among us, from Amherst to Orchard Park, Grand Island to Eden. It
isn’t their choice; it isn’t a problem they created. They need acres to roam, woods for
shelter, and lots of plants to stay alive. Humans have encroached, as humans tend to
do, and left the animals with insufficient habitat. In addition, we have killed or driven away their natural predators. The rural
hunting culture is also less popular now, and largely unsuitable in the suburban neighborhood. So deer reproduce and try to
live. What else are they to do?And how do they survive? They eat your shrubs. Home landscapes provide perfect deer fodder, in
the form of well-nourished, succulent plants, grouped conveniently together. (Deer don’t need concentrated high-protein food
as much as a quantity of stems, twigs, and buds—specifically called “browse material.”) Especially late in winter, the tips of our
shrubs may provide the only nutrients they can find.

For many homeowners locally, the deer pressure (the number per acre) has become so severe they have given up gardening.But we do have options to minimize deer damage and achieve comfortable coexistence. It isn’t easy; it is a trial-and-error pro-cess. But for those who refuse to give up their gardens, it’s worth the effort.Know your (four-legged) neighborWe should understand the animals we live among, especially if we want to outsmart them. Two deer characteristics may helpyou keep a garden:1. Deer are xenophobic—fearful of anything foreign or strange. That is why most deer-scaring tricks (lights, radios, barkingdogs) work for a while, until they get used to them. Still, you can do a lot to make the environment around the garden seemweird to them, and keep them away for awhile (see below). When deer are migrating, your set-up will deter lots of them. Butthe resident animals eventually figure out your tricks unless you keep changing the game.2. Deer are creatures of habit. They usually repeat their travel routes and take to certain eateries just as we do. So, it’sextremely important you get deer repellants, blocks, and scare devices in place early every season. Once Mama has introducedthe kids to your salad bar, you’re probably in for the duration, and they can leap—or tear apart—many a barrier.Deer-deterring tricks(Remember—our xenophobes learn quickly, so keep it moving)Foreign smells: Scented dryer strips, fragrant soap bars, Liquid Fence, and other products containing Thiram—all areweird in deer-world.Odd flooring: Old carpets, shower curtains or tarps, or chicken wire laid on the ground around a garden often keep deerfrom walking there until the snow is deep.Horse manure: Manure, spread around a planting, repels. (Avoid fresh manure touching plants.)Fencing: While some deer can leap ten-foot fences, they need an open area and running start to do so. (They can’t leapup straight from a close position.) So seven-foot fences can help. In many areas, gardeners succeed with a simple post andsingle-wire fence at five feet, strewn intermittently with repellant-soaked white cloth strips.Smell of the enemy: Coyote or fox urine has tested well as a natural repellant that deer do not get used to—because theysmell a real enemy. Human hair in bags, dog urine (and yes, even human urine along the garden edge; don’t ask the particu-lars) may all deter deer.Plant covering: Products such as the Shrub-Coat product line save the rhododendrons. Deer netting and burlap maywork, or may be torn.No guaranteesGardening among the deer is challenging. Conditions change year by year. Newcomers or babies try plants the parents never

January / February 2010 wwwbuffaospreecom 80

Living

Gardening Beauty Vanity Wars Gadget Planet

GARDENING by Sally Cunningham

Oh, deer

Deerarelivingamongus,fromAmherstto OrchardPark, GrandIslandtoEden.It isn’ttheirchoice;itisn’taproblemthey created.Theyneedacrestoroam,woods forshelter,andlotsofplantstostayalive. Humanshaveencroached,ashumans
tend to do, and left the animals with insufficient habitat. In
addition, we have killed or driven away their natural predators. The rural hunting culture is also less popular now,
and largely unsuitable in the suburban neighborhood. So
deer reproduce and try to live. What else are they to do?

And how do they survive? They eat your shrubs. Home
landscapes provide perfect deer fodder, in the form of well-nourished, succulent plants, grouped conveniently together.

(Deer don’t need concentrated high-protein food as much
as a quantity of stems, twigs, and buds—specifically called
“browse material.”) Especially late in winter, the tips of our
shrubs may provide the only nutrients they can find.

For many homeowners locally, the deer pressure (the
number per acre) has become so severe they have given up
gardening. But we do have options to minimize deer damage and achieve comfortable coexistence. It isn’t easy; it is a
trial-and-error process. But for those who refuse to give up
their gardens, it’s worth the effort.

Know your (four-legged) neighbor

We should understand the animals we live among, especially if we want to outsmart them. Two deer characteristics
may help you keep a garden: